Protesters plan day of vigils, action

News-Times, The (Danbury, CT)

Published 7:00 pm, Wednesday, January 19, 2005

Cascia, 20, a Western Connecticut State University sophomore, said he believes the U.S. government is actively oppressing the nation's people. He is against President Bush, he says. He wasn't a supporter of his Democratic opponent, John Kerry, either.

"Policies are based on capitalism," said Cascia. Both the Republican and Democratic parties are looking out for businesses rather than the people, he said.

Like many, he is against the war in Iraq. He also has issues with the government's treatment of the working class, the problem of jobs being outsourced to other countries, and Bush's views on abortion.

Cascia is riding on a bus with 53 others organized by Connecticut United For Peace, a group that has some 15 chapters in the state. Meg Scata of Middletown, who is on the group's organizing committee, said the bus will pick up protesters in Hartford, Middletown and New Haven.

Another busload of some 46 protesters, organized by the Nov. 3 Committee, will leave from Willimantic. In addition to today's protest, another big rally is set for Friday.

"We got a tremendous amount of interest," said Scata. Because the groups had a Jan. 10 deadline to reserve the bus, they had to turn some late-comers away. She believes the two committees could have easily filled another bus.

Some, she said, are driving to Washington, D.C., on their own.

Counter-inauguration activities started on Jan. 13, many organized by the D.C. anti-war network (DAWN), said Scata.

"A lot of people are angry as a result of the election," said Scata, adding that many are suspicious of the election results. She personally is appalled the nation is spending $40 million on inaugural events during a time of war and after so many in Asia lost their lives and are in need because of the Dec. 26 tsunami.

A group called ANSWER (Act Now To Stop War And Racism) received a permit for some 10,000 people to stand at 4th and Constitution Avenue today, said Scata. But she knows that for every protester, there will be many Bush supporters nearby.

There will also be all kinds of counter vigils in Connecticut today, said Scata. New Haven will have a vigil across from the public library. From 11 to 12:30 p.m. people against the inauguration will protest outside the Old State House. A group called Latinos Against The War will hold a protest outside the Hartford military recruiting office on Pearl Street.

Another group is asking churches to ring their bells today to represent the need for peace.

Scata tells those who feel like protesting to participate in the "Not One Damn Dime" project, which urges people to not spend any money on big corporations that supported Bush, such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot.

"Boycotting can be very effective," she said.

Jerome Bibuld, 76, of Danbury, is circulating an e-mail message about "Not One Damn Dime" to hundreds of people he knows.

He would like to go to the protest in Washington, D.C., but he cannot because of a medical condition. He has been a member of WESPAC Foundation, a peace and justice action network out of White Plains, N.Y., for about 25 years.

They want the FBI to investigate the presidential election because they believe voters were turned away at the polls, said Nada Khader, executive director of the foundation, which has about 2,000 people on its mailing list.

Khader said they decided to protest in White Plains because the inauguration is on a Thursday and many people can't take off work. This allows them to come to the protest during their lunch break.